Barbecues have been in use for a considerable number of years, however, it has only been in the last 10 years during which gas barbecues have become extremely popular and are more readily available to consumers. In general terms, such gas barbecues are constructed with a cooking containment area in which the heating and conking takes place. This is typically achieved with a two tier rack system. The food to be cooked is placed on the upper tier, level or rack. Below this is the second tier which is typically a rack onto which briquettes, or "lava" rocks, (cooking elements) are disposed. There is an element (heating element) below the level of the cooking element through which propane gas is ignited and by which an even controlled flame is maintained under the surface of the cooking elements.
Typically meats such as beef and chicken are cooked on barbecues and as a result of the cooking process significant oils and greasy liquids are produced from the cooking meat. In the prior art this grease typically falls to the bottom of the barbecue and is channeled to an exit port to the exterior of the cooking containment area, which exit was designed to direct grease drips out of the barbecue. In a number of barbecue models a tin can is located below this exit port however, tin cans are not always available and more often in other barbecue models the grease drains down a central column, which supports the cooking containment area of the barbecue, onto the ground below the unit. In short, grease drips off the cooking food and this usually, ultimately falls to the ground below the barbecue.
Grease and oil also drips off the lid of the barbecue when it is tilted back, i.e., when the cooking containment area is opened during the cooking process. Such grease and oils are deposited on the interior of the lid during the cooking process. Another source of grease and oil spills is through air vents which are typically located at the bottom of the containment area. Although such vents often have a lip to prevent grease from exiting via the air vent, after repeated use, debris builds up at the lip providing sufficient opportunity for grease to run over the lip out of the barbecue onto the surface below.
Coincident with the increased use of gas barbecues has been the popularity of outdoor stone patios and patio decks. Usually, the owner of a gas barbecue performs the cooking in the barbecue on these patio surfaces. The grease and oils which arise from the cooking process are consequently a problem in so far as the dripping and spilling of the grease soils and stains the surface on which the barbecue is located.
This problem has been addressed to a limited extent, for example, the use of a tin can at the exit spout. However, such solutions are inapplicable where the grease drains to a position well below the cooking surface as in the case where the exit port is through the bottom of a support column. Further, where water from rainstorms, or sprinkler systems fill such cans, the grease spills out of the can. In addition, often there is insufficient space for the placement of a can or it is simply not appropriate to use such an approach. Typical of systems which catch and guide grease to troughs is the art disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,938 which borrows from the oven cooking art wherein broiling pans are used to catch and channel grease (see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,627).
A related problem exists in the automotive field wherein oil drips from the lower surface of automobiles which creates a soiling problem. Solutions to this problem include mats such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,551 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,089 however, neither of these systems is appropriate for use in the cooking arts field because of their size, the difficulty with disposing the oil which is "caught" and their inability to deal with water such as in rainstorms.